Good beginning marred by dumb second part and relentless product placement

Rating: 6/10 (19 August 2005)

We start out in a THX 1138 style facility. We ask what is going on, who are these people. Why are they here? The conversation is interesting, the acting is decent. Interesting questions about a moral issue come to our minds. We see this nice place yet we feel something is fundamentally wrong with the situation. As one of the individuals questions things going on around him, the horrible truth is revealed.
After this, what we see degenerates into standard Hollywood/Michael Bay action fare with dire dialogue (consisting of the words "go!", "move out!" etc. etc.). The action is good, but lacks soul and appears as mere eye candy. Let's face it, the two leads were hardly stretching their acting abilities.
The ending part of the experience revives a little of the intrigue of the first part, but it has taken so long to get here that we really don't care. Did we really expect it to end any other way? Throughout the movie we are constantly subjected to multiple product placement opportunities, some so glaringly obvious that you almost feel the need to scream. We paid to see a movie, not be advertised at. It is also very much oriented at males - action/women etc., and even if you were a lady I wouldn't even recommend this movie just for another chance of seeing McGregor in action. Cool music though. A lot of borrowing from other movies, such as The Matrix and Blade Runner too.
Oh, what could have been!